Z is for Zoe

You watched her in the library Until you overheard her talking in a cafe Her girlfriend is a gamemaster Yet The Players Are the Thing You’re more than willing to play To get sucked into her roleplaying campaign To see what has Rhane so enthralled The game has a power of its own Your character is quite a compelling one Even if Rhiannon wasn’t originally yours You and Rhiannon find yourself drawn to Rhane and Amberwyne Stirring the jealousy of Mona and Isolde as you are There’s something so right about your rivalry You and Rhiannon are propelling the plot forth Stirring the Gamemaster to quicken to your novelty You envy Beatrix, yet you admire her Hoping to rekindle the fire of her inspiration Bring back her old passion for the game Even if it means losing your own chance A chance to get closer to Rhane You’re getting closer while you play the game Finding out what peaks her interest, makes her smile It’s a different way of getting to know someone Building a genuine bond of friendship Rolling the dice, letting your character speak As hers speaks to yours in turn.

Y is for Ylynessa

A waif from the dark and desperate corners of Rowenda Child seized from the long arms of the Dark Circle Growing up a lady within castle walls You’ve done much to make monsters less monstrous Introducing the term ‘nonhuman’ to common speech Doing your best to cultivate the Unicorn Matriarch Ingratiating yourself with her wide-eyes acolytes Trouble at Caerac Keep doesn’t take you by surprise You raise your voice to cry the Vampire Corwyth has risen You blame traveling adventurers for disturbing his crystal Of course the sickness spreading in the Keep is the kiss of a vampire You’re willing to listen to other explanations with a condescending smile The Keep has its secrets, some you won’t share with your brother Even if he’s Lord William of Caerac Keep A mysterious knight, whom is perhaps the new Captain of the Guard A figure in armour who never speaks, only acts And you’ve got your own secrets you won’t share All the letters you write to a mysterious aunt, couched in veiled terms Whatever you’re up to, you still love your brother Your devotion to the Keep itself is far more dubious Your devotion is already spoken for Claimed before you started playing your dangerous game Whisked away even as you stand in your castle Dressed in finery, dispensing smiles and fits of temper All to conceal the intentions you hold close.

X is for Xylanthe

Born from hunger, born from desire Striving for ideals shunned by the idealistic Recreating yourself as an immortal monster Shunned by your former Aethyrian sisters Immortal Queen of the Dark Circle Offering guidance and protection to other monsters Waiting for bold and juicy heroes in your lair To come wandering into your waiting webs Now there are not so many adventurers Monsters are now considered nonhumans Humans are discouraging from hunting them Less and less would-be heroes are coming after you Too often you and yours are going hungry There’s opportunity in this Trouble at Caerac Keep Trouble your pawns are causing Terrifying the timid human sheep Arousing the bold would-be heroes among them Heating their blood to a fevered pitch You can’t wait to taste it When the bold come wandering into your webs Seeking answers, needing to fight their fears You’re only too willing to remind them That monsters still exist in the darkness.

W is for William

A stable sanctuary for the your people Secure from monsters behind stone walls You’ve spent longer than anyone knows Making this walled town a haven Now there’s Trouble at Caerac Keep Your sorcerer has gone missing Nor is he the only one People all over town are getting sick Growing pale, wan, and listless The only mark a pair of tiny red dots They do seem like victims of a vampire attack Fearful residents mutter about the Vampire Corwyth How he’s risen to suck the blood of the living You need to put these rumours to rest Adventurers are no longer in fashion Accused of being mercenary and murderous You pick out a group of promising younglings Whose talents may lead them to sniff out the truth Perhaps you’re sending them to their deaths What are a few lives weighed against the many? Those younglings have lost loved ones They have an interest in solving the mystery If no desire to work together to solve it You gave them this dangerous task Equipping them with a hidden weapon One they know nothing of You hope it will make the odds more favourable At least these children should flush out your enemies Allowing you to deal with them Sacrificing them is a necessity in these times At least that’s what you keep telling yourself.

V is for Varwyth

Keeping to the shadowy places Mysterious connected to lord and sorcerer Showing a possessive, tender concern for the Serpent-Born Taking your angry sympathy out on the cleric Trading condescending amusements with the Aethyrian You play and keep company with these children You’re much older than anyone guesses This Trouble at Caerac Keep strikes deep Offending you in a way you won’t reveal As you seek the truth along with your companions Rousing Lord William Caerac to action Concerned beyond words by Daeric’s disappearance Annoyed by the constant prejudice showered upon Rhodry Much has changed, yet clerics keep making the same mistakes Monsters can make them as well Immortality isn’t a cure for stupidity or selfishness Weaknesses that refuse to go away In spite of a strong motivation to get stronger You’ll give these children a chance to grow strong and wise Hoping they’ll pass on that strength and wisdom in turn.

U is for Undine

Once a free spirit of water and waves Trapped by the call of a maiden’s shell You’re at the heart of the Trouble at Caerac Keep Reaching out to the Serpent-Born To the Unicorn’s chosen To the maiden from a faraway land Touching their dreams, directing the children your way The way to your peril, the way to the truth There’s so much misdirection in this place You’re in the hands of a mistress of misdirection You cannot directly speak of your plight Cannot name the captor holding you Or the nature of your captivity You’re just a hollow cry within your cage A prison you cannot bear All you can do is send images Images you hope your rescuers will recognize Hoping these children will be your rescuers.

T is for Thomas

Bat-eared, scowling at everyone before they can scowl at you Filled with ugly notions of the way things should be A Godling for Your Thoughts? Your own mind doesn’t appeal to you It disgusts you as much as the rest of you does Exploding with fury, unable to express it You’re reduced to hurling rocks at those too weak to fight back You’re learning what seems weak can be deceptive Blocking your bluster with a tiny hand Questioning your notions with quicksilver thought They do it all with a force you can’t overcome Fragile, too beautiful to be boys, you’re no match for them You’ve always sensed that beauty was power An evil power you’d never possess All you could do was yearn for it Sensing it would always reject you Only Seraphix came to you, a Voice, a talisman Offering to make all your dreams come true You can be as beautiful as they are You can bring them all their knees Humbling them as they’ve humbled you A part of you wonders if there’s more to it You don’t care to listen to this part You’ve trapped inside your own body for too long You’re ready to break out, to become something better To become the very embodiment of your dreams If you can trust yourself to wear them If your own inner poison doesn’t leak through.

S is for Seraphix

A Godling for Your Thoughts? Your Voice offers your talisman A coin for those whom have a wish A wish strong enough to allow you to manifest Taking the form of the wisher’s desire A dream lover, the ideal self A demonic minion at a tailor’s beck and call The ghost of an approving ancestor A sympathetic familar in need of a pet You become all of these things to your Followers Gaining strength and power as you do Only the ones you desperately wanted Who breathed life into your trembling shadow Giving you form, giving you warmth They’re the ones who hesitate Not willing to accept your talisman You see the twins through the eyes of your Followers You call and beckon to your Hand and Eye They keep slipping through your changing fingers No matter how much you clutch and reach.

R is for Rhane

Drifting away from reality From the girlfriend you’re with out of habit more than love Your passions are engaged with your character Created for a roleplaying game, she leads a rich life One you’re coming to enjoy more and more Your love breathes vitality into her Enough to make her aware of your presence Concerned for her creatrix, for the reality you hide from She tries to convince you that The Players Are the Thing It becomes her quest to save you from yourself To guide you to a happier ending than you think possible Just as you guide her to success and happiness Dice link you, linking fate with fate What will you do with your fates, yours and hers? She’s willing to fade away to make you happy You’d do anything to keep her from fading away.

Q is for Quartz

Will nothing content this grumpy dwarf? Certainly not taking over blogs monthly He won’t take death in Fairest lying down Even if he gets backlash from a sleeping curse Whammied out of the best intentions This is what you get for listening to kobolds Taking in surrogate human daughters You’ve had just about enough Of Cuckoo Clocks and Crystal Coffins Even if it’s a story of your own You lead your brothers away from your kind’s greed Fool dwarves, fool goblins, fighting over gold They underestimate the beauty and value of a quartz crystal Human mages are not so so short-sighted. You find a mountain with plenty of your namestone You didn’t realize it was occupied by a dragon You and your brothers head to the dubious safety Of a cottage in a Forest of Tears Trying endure garden gnomes as neighbors Wondering how long Garnet can take the stress Curses and trouble have a way of finding your door You recognize some of your own confusion You desire to do something, to keep moving In the weary beauty of her face No, you should have taken in that human princess She’ll break your heart the way humans always do You shouldn’t have listened to kobolds either Too bad you’re too stubborn to listen to yourself.

P is for Phaedra

Wide-eyed with wonder What’s normal is new Your lover kept your sheltered Reassuring you she knew best You’re starting to see pieces A universe out there she can shelter you from Such overbearing shelter keeps you from growing There’s so much you wish to learn You start with an invitation A wealthy intergalactic citizen An invitation to a symposium A spaceship which defies convention A philosopher who defies conventional thought Chased by a pirate queen beyond the starts You find yourself ensnared by technology Forces working in mysterious ways Beyond your understanding It’s all too much like magic You speak and feast on words of love In a gathering of friends and strangers At this party, you find yourself Tasting a truth which may change you forever. Curious about Phaedra? Her story, A Symposium in Space is available at… Nine Star Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/a-symposium-in-space/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Symposium-Space-Feast-Words-ebook/dp/B07PGB15FY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BPACY58MCCMV&keywords=a+symposium+in+space&qid=1552937461&s=digital-text&sprefix=A+Sympo%2Caps%2C239&sr=1-1 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130883509?ean=2940161507872 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-symposium-in-space Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/928136

O is for Oleander

A poisonous flower blooming in a poisonous mind Born of Seraphix becoming one with a petty Follower A Godling for Your Thoughts? His seethe with spiteful greed A desire of what he can’t repress You’re the embodiment of that desire You act out fantasies he’s too cowardly to dare Fixing your lust on a particular object Can he touch your poisonous heart? You mock your creator with courage In spite of being part of him Your mockery is his due Carrying out acts of sabotage and self-hate Yearning to become so much more.

N is for Nathalie

Telling tall tales Following in your mother’s footsteps Getting your sister to listen with wide eyes Winning over your personal Iama the Terrible Even as she wins you, body and heart Sometimes you feel like the princess you were named for You try to make life as magical as you can live it Reality can be more terrible than any tale you spin You try to shield your sister from this terrror Warning her within a joke and a tall tale You can only take so many blows from reality Before you retreat, try to run away from it Running to the very heart of the terror Remember life can be wondrous as well as terrible The best stories come from a true earnestness The truth lying within your tale tales Drawn from inside your heart. You can meet Nathalie in Wind Me Up, One More Time, available… Mischief Corner Books/Shenanigans Press: https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/wind-me-up-one-more-time.html#/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081LPX2WH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Wind+Me+Up%2C+One+More+Time&qid=1573974211&s=books&sr=1-1 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wind-me-up-one-more-time Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-me-up-one-more-time-ks-trenten/1134959345 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1488235515?fbclid=IwAR1_ox2T5jIHibPFBHUqTck0SNaP3pcZIgNM4DS3VAjU47mn3o5iu260bMA

M is for Map

Solid, making your way in the direction of home You create homes wherever you settle Once you’re there, you start to grow roots Getting stuck in one place, making your imprint Casting shadows you refuse to acknowledge Never wishing to move from your spot It’s others who get you moving The families you create with lovers and friends The shadow childings you raise as your own Refusing to admit there’s anything strange about them Or any of the places you’ve turned into a home Whether you’re at a temple or a cottage Your families always turn away Falling into pools of sparkling lost color Opening Doors in the center of stone circles You’ve lost and found family beyond the Door Now the shadows reach for you and your boys Tempting your children to become shadows themselves Accepting roles as The Hand and the Eye of the Tower You warn them not to listen to weathered stone’s whisper Knowing your warnings are probably in vain While you plant both feed in the earth Making yourself strong and solid Hoping your loved ones will do the same.

L is for Leiwell

Born of the shadowy green Flower of desire, devouring dissolute seekers of power Artistic ambition and sentimental passion You imbue these things with an obedient appetite Devoting yourself to master and family No matter what they might truly be, they are yours You are the guardian, creating a haven between reality and shadow Taking on the burden of both so your brothers stay innocent You’re willing to pay the price of that innocence Your brothers are no longer willing to watch you pay Even your master is taken aback by your self-sacrifice A zeal which could turn upon him for his own sake My Tool, My Treasure is how he sees you One is becoming more important than the other Watching you dwindle, disappear in plain sight Swallowed by the vortex of good intentions.

K is for Kevin

You’re just a fresh, freckled face with a cheerful smile Serving drinks at the bar of The Tipsy Hedgehog Offering support and strength to Aggie Every time she casts a wistful glance at the sword Momento of her life as an adventurer she refuses to hide Now there’s Trouble at Caerac Keep, the sword is quite tempting Too many regulars keep disappearing, no longer stopping by Falling prey to a mysterious illness which could be a vampire bite You offer a prayer of thanks to the Unicorn that Rhodry is still well The Goddess looks after the Serpent-Born, no matter what Faith says Exotic and menacing with his golden hair and delicate features You secretly find them beautiful regardless of what folks mutter You haven’t the boldness to speak to Rhodry too often Not with everything that’s happening, plus you’ve got secrets of your own Now the trouble is reaching out of the night, out of your past Reaching with bloody claw and fang to snatch you from your quiet life You can no longer look away from the darkness at the door and smile When the darkness is creeping in, coming for you.

J is for Jupitre

Once you were the greatest of the great The power of the lightning bolt came alive in your hands You cast down the monsters who’d devour you Raising yourself to lofty heights Taking the woman closest to you as your bride Taking whomever struck your fancy, willing or no Once your worshippers trembled, now they dwindle You have dwindled along with them Cast to the the earth, reduced to a mere man The slave of she whom you once ruled All you dream of is getting your power back No one fears or respects you any longer What are earthy delights compared to heavenly ones? How can these mortal creatures smile, hope? They are mysteries to you, perhaps they’ve always been Why else would you come to their world and dally with them When you have all the delight and power of the heavens? Of course you seek a Door to your desire Leading you back to what you were You fear being amongst these frail mortal dreams Fear getting close to them, weeping their tears Their sweat reveals a secret you can almost taste A secret that you’re not ready to learn. A Godling for Your Thoughts? All your thoughts are lost wishes Reaching out for something constantly out reach.

I is for Iama

Hiding within your palace of gold Gold is your only enduring companion Luring the princesses into your hall of mirrors Only to have them hand you your heart You’d almost forgotten it existed Growing on a tree’s branch in the forgotten darkness You mighted have warned that brash young girl Daring to seize your name, cry it in jest She’s as far from being you as she’s ever been Laughing with her princesses, rolling in the grass Even though they’re not really princesses It’s all storybook nonsense It’s when she denies you that she’s closest to being you Denying stories, denying her friends Hiding behind her desk in an office in a factory You may be just the enchantress in a story She may be just a manager in a factory You’ve both surrounded yourselves with walls Absorbed in the pursuit of gold or gain Cutting yourselves off from your hearts At odds with those who wish to love you They’re not ready to give up on you Even as you enclose yourself in isolation They’re coming for you within your walls Bearing magic, memories, and miracles Pitting those things against your hollow goals Betting that the better part of you will win Toys embody the heart of your conflict Crying the challenge Wind Me Up, One More Time Daring you to remember what you have forgotten. If you’d like to meet Iama the Terrible and the young girl who took her name (Maia), here are buy links to their story, Wind Me Up, One More Time… Mischief Corner Books/Shenanigans Press: https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/wind-me-up-one-more-time.html#/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081LPX2WH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Wind+Me+Up%2C+One+More+Time&qid=1573974211&s=books&sr=1-1 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wind-me-up-one-more-time Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-me-up-one-more-time-ks-trenten/1134959345 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1488235515?fbclid=IwAR1_ox2T5jIHibPFBHUqTck0SNaP3pcZIgNM4DS3VAjU47mn3o5iu260bMA

H is for Hector and Harold

One of you is a warrior Determined to defend your glory, your honor Never allowing the shame of love between Aissa and Polyxena to sway you You’re determined and unconquerable as Troy’s walls A rock of tradition, standing tall The other thinks he’s the Fairest for all he’s far from it For all his rings, titles, and pretenses For one of you, honor is a thing you were born with Something you fight to hold onto through blood and sweat For the other, honor is yours by right of birth One you’re gracious enough to share with anyone you speak to Family is important to both of you, but is it more than a formality? The trappings of title and honor you were born to? You’re not without familal sentiment yet prejudice clouds your vision Ideas of what’s right and proper obscuring your heart Leaving each of you blind to what exists in others As you stumble across the landscape in a conflict you cannot win.

G is for Grace

Lonely without realizing it Wishing for a stuffed bear to squeeze Losing your mamas, your sister again and again Trying to keep Maia from becoming too terrible You see magic all around you Your wish is granted in Theodora Bear She becomes your companion Speaks to you in the secret language Only children and stuffed animals can hear You’re less alone when you’re with her She’s there for you as long as you believe Wind Me Up, One More Time she growls She’ll tell you a tale to cheer you up Show you things most people don’t believe You can only see them if you believe in them Theodora Bear can only help if you believe in her It’s hard to believe growing up and away Seeing others caught in the gears Trapped in their own industry Stories aren’t just stories for all they’re laughed at Hidden warnings lurk in every tale Laugh at them, but take care not to ignore them Even as you grow up and away Deciding how up and away you wish to be And how much magic you’d like to remain. Curious about Grace? Want to get to know her better? Here are some buy links to Wind Me Up, One More Time, the story she comes from… Mischief Corner Books/Shenanigans Press: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081LPX2WH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Wind+Me+Up%2C+One+More+Time&qid=1573974211&s=books&sr=1-1 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wind-me-up-one-more-time Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-me-up-one-more-time-ks-trenten/1134959345 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1488235515?fbclid=IwAR1_ox2T5jIHibPFBHUqTck0SNaP3pcZIgNM4DS3VAjU47mn3o5iu260bMA

F is for Faith

Hope, Faith, and Charity A triad of virtues for the Unicorn’s Horn Hope was taken from you Charity lies ailing Only you, Faith remain Driven from the sanctuary of the Unicorn temple Need drives to wander Caerac Keep Not all once deemed monstrous is truly monstrous The Serpent-Born are the ones responsible Confusing the ignorant into seeing monsters in kobolds and goblins Tricking the greedy into theft and murder You have no interest in such creatures Your prey are the undead Skeletons and zombies are pitiful puppets awaiting release Ghouls are ravening parodies of the living, seeking flesh Wraiths and spectres are among the more dangerous among ghosts Perhaps more dead than undead, still needing to be laid to rest Worst of all is the legendary vampire Nightmare kin to incubi, succubi, and Serpent-Born themselves Exqusite statues of marble flesh seeking blood Fortunately there are few The undead are the sins of the Serpent-Born Mistakes of the Dragon the Unicorn must purify They are the root of all that’s wrong in this world You must not trust them or listen to their words Why would you keep company with such a creature? Why would your Mother Superior, the lady of Caerac Keep order you to do so? You are using him to undo the Trouble at Caerac Keep He brings a host of troubles just being in your company Of course he’s beautiful, deceptively gentle Your foolish, foreign companion underestimates him for being male The necromancer refuses to acknowledge how dangerous he is It’s up to you to keep an eye on Rhodry Nevalyn For he could imperil your mind and soul Imperil the faith that’s your very reason for being Trust that your Mother Superior has reason for making you his companion You must keep the faith you are named for For you are the last of three The only virtue left standing in these troubled times To abandon that virtue is to abandon everything For faith is your very reason for being.

E is for Emma

Your Name Is Emma but you don’t always remember Haunted by the smell of coffee Just as you haunted the cafe outside where you died Unable to accomplish half of what you dreamed Envying the simple actions of the living you took for granted Soul Takers wait in reflections, tap on doors, sniffing your trail Hungry to add you to their growing collection Your only hope is the love you wronged As she struggles to overcome painful memories of you Tormented by a guilt she should feel Her guilt gives you a certain petty satisfaction Sometimes malice keeps you sharper than regret or love The sharp emotions help you to hold on You’re not sure if there’s anything to move onto Trying to solve the riddle of your existence How easily how life was snuffed out How much you took for granted You cling to the hope of closure Of accomplishing something in your insubstantial state What was once petty now feels crucial You never appreciate something until it’s gone You long to let go of your regret To resolve what remains to be resolved To make some meaning out of what you are Before your fragile form fades The ghost of you slipping away with all the rest.

D is for Danyel and Dyvian, Not Tayel

Shadows spreads to envelop my blog. Danyel stands, small and fragile-looking, but one of his hands glows with a warm green energy. Tayel is at his side, his exact likeness, a slight androgynous boy with a head of touseled silvery golden waves. Violet-blue eyes too big for a face just like Danyel’s glare back at the darkness, only Tayel are filled with silvery light.

Danyel: No, he’s no longer called Dayel. Our scribbler changed his name so readers wouldn’t have as hard a time telling our names apart. That doesn’t mean he has to leave.

Tayel: A single letter shifts yet not my purpose.

The darkness swirls like a whirlwind in slow motion only to dissolve and part, revealing Dyvian standing in the center. Dressed in a black velvet tunic and trousers with a ruby ring upon his fingers. Moon-pale hair caught back with a little dark ribbon, revealing high cheekbones, a generous mouth, and coldly prismatic eyes flashing with bits of color which are muted, diminished as they swim in his irises.

Dyvian: What is purpose in the face of the darkness? Don’t you long for the shadows’ embrace? Thrilling you, terrifying you? Can’t you feel their power? For I have always been the ally of a god, little ones, even when I was first conceived.

Danyel: Seraphix isn’t a god. Not yet. There’s some question whether Their original self, Serphamis was truly the God of Balance. Even if you were Their Voice, Their Vampyre.

Tayel: Names changes yet motivations remain, even when they’re obscured.

Dyvian: (smiling) Be very grateful that’s not true, little one, considering what the Vampyre planned to do to both of you.

For a moment he leers, seeming to sprout fangs, eyes turning blood red. Danyel and Tayel shrink back.

Dyvian: Be glad my intentions toward you are far less dark in Tales of the Navel.

Tayel: Less depraved, no less dark.

Dyvian: You are certainly darker, little Tayel. Even before your name changed, you were changing.

Danyel: (stepping slightly in front of his twin) Tayel has never been dark, even if he scares us at times. I already said why our scribbler changed his name from Dayel to Tayel. She was just trying to be considerate and so is Tayel! He may have secrets, but he keeps them because he’s tryig to protect the rest of us.

Tayel: (looking away) Consideration has seldom been my concern. Clarity and closeness are. Only the dark see darkness in others.

Dyvian: You could be speaking of yourself, little one as much as I. The truth is you are no longer the same any more than you belong with the letter D.

Tayel: (glowering at Dyvian. No matter what your eye seeks, no matter what your Voice calls for, or how often you grab for the bright innocence nearby, I shall stand in your way.

Dyvian: Mine wasn’t the seeking eye, nor the grabbing hand. We’re drifting from our topic, my dears, which is our origins. Two roleplaying games or interactives stories where I hunted you in the name of my god.

Danyel: Only now we’re in Tales of the Navel, a series of stories which may not be ours, even if we are major characters in it.

Tayel: Born from shadows, we could not replace that shadow. Once more he rises to eclipse us.

Dyvian: How prettily you put it. Alas, it’s not my shadow you speak of.

Danyel: It’s not that pretty, what we’re saying. Nor is it fair. We stole Christopher’s story from him.

Tayel: (letting out a low growl) No. He gave his story to us. We’re his creations, moving to his purpose.

Danyel: Why do you always speak as if Christopher was up to no good? It’s not that simple.

Dyvian: No, it isn’t. Not with Christopher. Not with me. Too often you forget this when it’s me.

Tayel: Forgetfulness is a bliss offered to those more fortunate.

Danyel: We forget nothing. Just because you’re no longer a vampyre coming after us doesn’t mean you’re not coming after us.

Tayel: Strike against what we hold dear and you’ve offered a challenge we cannot turn away from.

Dyvian: How possessively you speak of a man who isn’t truly your brother. You presume a great deal, wrongly, if you think my love for Leiwell is any less than yours.

Tayel: Your love drains the will and blinds conviction.

Danyel: You play the devil with him. You’re trying to tempt Leiwell with something, lure him away from us.

Dyvian: Well, well. How gratifying to learn you are as jealous of me as I am of you. In past incarnations, Leiwell always betrayed me for your sakes. What do you think he’ll do this time, hmm?

Danyel: He’ll do what he feels is right. He always does.

Tayel doesn’t answer.

Dyvian: Will he? And just what is right? What does he think is right?

Danyel: (crossing his arms and glowering right back at him) What do you?

Tayel: Righteousness is blind. The heart tries to see what is obscured by feeling.

Dyvian: Often I believed I was doing the right thing. What my god wished.

Danyel: Did you?

Tayel: Justifying depravity in the name of right is a mere veil you wrap around your eyes.

Dyvian: While you see more than you ever wished to. Tell me, little one, do you believe in Leiwell as much as your more innocent twin? Do you have faith in him?

Tayel doesn’t answer.

Danyel: Tayel?

Tayel won’t look at his brother.

Dyvian: (softly) Some things never change. No matter what incarnation we’re in. This is why you cannot hold onto Leiwell.

Danyel: (turning on him with an almost savage fury, the glow in his hand fierce) I can. Can you?

Tayel: Everthing shifts and changes including our faith and our grip.

Dyvian: Fine. (spreading his cloak) We’ll see whose is stronger and tighter.

The three end gazing at each other as the mists come between them, the darkness swallowing Dyvian while the gray fog claims Danyel and Tayel. The twins grip each other hands tightly before they disappear.

C is for Caerac

Someone is knocking on your tomb Someone is ressurecting your old bones Can’t these younglings let you rest in peace? They’ve got no respect for their elders or former adventurers All you had to fight for, all that built the Keep you enjoy A fortress of walls keeping out the monsters you fought Now there’s Trouble at Caearac Keep and the monsters won’t stay away You never protected anyone, you were one of the monsters Bashing goblins’s heads in and stealing their treasure Just what were you doing in the dungeon any way? Goblins and kobolds have rights too They were only protecting themselves from greedy invaders Goblins and kobolds may have rights but not the undead The righteous young cleric with the bloody hand made that quite clear You’d better not tell her all of your secrets She’s listening to far more than she can handle from your lost time Those boys adding their energy to hers are all the more confusing They have an air which reminds you far too much of Corwyth The dread vampire everyone fears has risen You remember when he was a cleric himself, a righteous idealist Oh, the tales you could tell them, making their hair fall out Your own hair is long gone along with your life You’d much rather rest in peace.

B is for Briar

The Fairest of them all You’re what she seeks but cannot bear to see Her back turned to you, eyes locked with her own reflection’s You’d like to blame her magic, your father for taking her away The Queen chose to accept them, she chose to be Queen She turned away from you yet refused to let you go You ran away from the monster in her What a shriveled, sour thing her love became You found a refuge from her, a home, a life with seven dwarves A father like none you’d ever had in Quartz Work takes you out and away from yourself You keep your hands moving, you keep your hands busy You never allow yourself to stop and hurt She was the one who stopped you. You tried to hide, to be safe and small Her passion and vanity were too great, her love too small She couldn’t let you be, she wrapped you in darkness Trapped you within the sleeping curse Lonely, angry, you let her darkness in You’d already lost your safe little life You abandoned safety, gave yourself up to the dream Let the magic come, let it shape your pain You selected a companion, one you wouldn’t allow to escape You trapped her with in the curse as well, your beloved victim Only your chosen one refused to be a victim She refused to turn away from you as the Queen had Even if you were the briar in her rose, pricking at breast She holds you close and refuses to let go Soothing the savage loneliness that beat within you.

A is for Amberwyne

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